# COOLIDORS



## capttrips (Jun 25, 2012)

I tried to get through the 100 and some pages on this topic and was thoroughly confused. What time of cooler do you get? How Large? What type of RH device do you use? ?Kitty Litter?!?!?!? Do you use it primarily for boxes? You can see how a newbie like myself might get confused. Please help?:ask:


----------



## Quine (Nov 9, 2011)

Any cooler will do. The more air-tight the seal when you close the top the better, but even a cheap one seems to work fine. I just commandeered a small one (about 20 quarts) I happen to have lying around. It holds 8 boxes of various sizes. If you are going to store more than that get a bigger one. Keep in mind that boxes take up more room than separate sticks. I like to use the cooler only for boxes. Loose sticks go in my humidors or tupper ware.

Yes, kitty litter for humidification works just great. But it isn't just any kitty litter it is pure silicon kitty litter which is about 5 times the price of the regular stuff, but still much cheaper ounce for ounce than any other passive humidification system -- make sure you get the "scent free" stuff, some of the silicon KL is perfumed.


----------



## kra961 (May 16, 2012)

Well depends on the following questions.

Are you wanting to store Boxs or just sticks or a mix of the two.
How much of each do you want to store?
Are you just starting out and on a very tight budget?
Are you an old Hand with no budget?

Coolers are pretty damn cheap you can build up one large one and store a 1000 sticks or a small one and store a few hundred sticks. You can put some effort into your cooler and yes you can spend a few bucks on it in the process. This hobby really has no end as some here can attest it just keeps growing.

So just what are your goals?


----------



## StogieNinja (Jul 29, 2009)

*Type of cooler* = Any kind you want, the only important thing is that it has a good seal and good insulation; the ones that advertise that it'll keep ice for days are probably best, as they tend to have both a strong seal and good insulation.

*Size* = Whatever you size want. Get at least double what you think you need. At _least _double.

*Type of rH medium* = Again, whatever you prefer. Some guys will use a bunch of Boveda packets, some guys use unscented 100% silica kitty litter, some guys use humidification beads. There's no wrong answer here. I, and many here on Puff, prefer KL because of the cost factor. Also, the more spanish cedar inside, the better the rH will regulate. So if you're storing boxes, that's perfect, and if not, try to put some empty boxes or spanish cedar trays in there both to hold your singles, and to help regulate the rH.

*Use *= Depends on your stash, its again whatever you prefer. Some guys keep only sealed boxes in a cooler, other guys like me, who only own one or two complete boxes, use it primarily for singles. Forrest (goes by "Wineador" here on the forum) can make you trays to fit any size cooler, so you can store singles.

I know that's a lot of "whatever you want" answers, but that's the beauty of a coolidor, they're completely up to you to customize to your preference and needs. And they're really cheap, comparatively!

Hope that helps!


----------



## capttrips (Jun 25, 2012)

My goals are as follows. I've been smoking cigars since January and have already amassed around 1000 cigars. I have 2/250 count humidors and an 800 count on the way. I also have a locker at the B&M. My B&M is holding roughly 15 boxes for me. I can't seem to walk out of a B&M without dropping a few hundred on cigars. That being said I really don't want to take the next step in humidors, a large cabinet. I want something I can use basically for aging. I have a boatload of Padron's and Opus' that I just don't want to start smoking as they will only get better with age. I hope that answers your question. I'm committed to my new favorite hobby or should I just be committed? Thanks for all the advice and keep it coming. Thank God we have 6 cats at home so my wife should be able to get the kitty litter pretty easy.


----------



## StogieNinja (Jul 29, 2009)

capttrips said:


> My goals are as follows. I've been smoking cigars since January and have already amassed around 1000 cigars. I have 2/250 count humidors and an 800 count on the way. I also have a locker at the B&M. My B&M is holding roughly 15 boxes for me. I can't seem to walk out of a B&M without dropping a few hundred on cigars. That being said I really don't want to take the next step in humidors, a large cabinet. I want something I can use basically for aging. I have a boatload of Padron's and Opus' that I just don't want to start smoking as they will only get better with age. I hope that answers your question. I'm committed to my new favorite hobby or should I just be committed? Thanks for all the advice and keep it coming. Thank God we have 6 cats at home so my wife should be able to get the kitty litter pretty easy.


Based on that, I would get a Coleman 150qt cooler, and have Forrest make you some trays to line it.


----------



## kra961 (May 16, 2012)

Yup just as Derek suggested start with a 150q or larger I believe there is a 200q unit... LOL I'm building my second 150q now its just going to be for boxes. I use KL works great as long as you can trust your meters (don't go cheap on those) Beads would likely be less stress and they cost a bit more, either will work. You'll find that the Spanish cedar trays you can find on amazon will fit in the 150 with no problem.

Sounds like you have an awesome selection, best of luck with your project.


----------



## Johnpaul (Aug 15, 2011)

It is quite understandable that you would be overwhelmed by the amount of information on this site and on the web in general. However, If you spend the time researching all the options out there, and why some people choose one solution over another than you will be much happier in the long run. You have already made a significant investment in this hobby and IMO learning is part of the enjoyment. All storage solutions have pro's and con's and then you have the question of what kind of humidifying device to use depending on your storage choice. A few minutes of searching this site you will find that different people choose different solutions for very good reasons. Myself right now (for example) I am using coolers with kitty litter and a wineadore with beads. I would say that if you want a canned response that is cheap and easy then just get a cooler big enough to fit what you want and put KL in it. If the temperature where your at gets over 70 deg. then freeze your sticks before putting them in there. But really you should read more before deciding what route is best for you.


----------



## StogieNinja (Jul 29, 2009)

capttrips said:


> I've been smoking cigars since January and have already amassed around 1000 cigars. ... I can't seem to walk out of a B&M without dropping a few hundred on cigars. ... I have a boatload of Padron's and Opus' that I just don't want to start smoking as they will only get better with age.....


I would stop stocking up right now. As a new smoker, your palate is going to go through some changes over the next couple years. You may find you no longer like the cigars you like right now, this is something that happens to quite a number of smokers. So don't stock up too much until your palate has gotten some flexing and has settled.

Also, a quick note: Opus' do benefit from age, but Padrons will slowly lose their umph. I wouldn't stock up those for aging as much, as you'll end up with them going a little flat on ya.


----------



## V-ret (Jun 25, 2012)

I love it when fellow Newbs ask a question I was thinking of at work. Thanks Capttrips

I do have one question. It was mentioned earlier that an air-tight cooler lid was the prefered choice. I've always thought that you need some airflow either from the porus wood, or the constant opening of a door to a walk-in to replace the air inside? Please clarify because from what I have read so far (or I could have mistaken what I read) air-tight seems like a bad thing.

~V-ret


----------



## 36Bones (Aug 18, 2011)

150 QT and don't look back. I consolidated 3 extra large tuppidors into it, with a ton of room to spare. Best part? I get to fill my tuppidors up again. :rotfl: I thought about getting a smaller cooler, but now I'm glad that for the price difference, I went big. You want air tight to keep your RH stable. Opening your cooler at least once a week, for about 45 seconds (IMHO) or so, allows for ample air exchange. It's the same with tuppidors as well.


----------



## V-ret (Jun 25, 2012)

Thanks Hilman for the response. Knowing me when I read air-tight I'm going to wrap that lid up with 2 layers of duct tape, lol.


----------



## zephead61 (Apr 18, 2012)

My suggestion is you take all of the Padrons and Opus and immediately ship them to me for safekeeping until you decide what to do. I won't smoke any, I promise! :lie:


----------



## kra961 (May 16, 2012)

I disagree I feel it would be right as a fellow BOTL to test said sticks to determine if they are all suitable for future consumption, I will reluctantly offer myself as a safety tester in the spirit of good will the our fellow BOTL


----------



## t4zalews (Jun 11, 2012)

I dove head first into the coolerdor I idea when I saw how much cheaper it was to buy cigars in bulk. I chose the Igloo family 51 qt. I also purchased 5 spanish cedar trays from cheaphumidors. I use a pound of 65% HF beads. Stays rock solid at 70 degrees at 65% RH. My discovery of cbid will have it and my 100 desktop full in no time. 

In the terms of newbie..I like some full flavored sticks already but the nic levels of them hit me pretty hard. So I bought some boxes of my current favorites and threw them in the coolerdor. I'll buy some more full smokes to age and medium medium-fulls to smoke.


----------



## kra961 (May 16, 2012)

V-ret said:


> I love it when fellow Newbs ask a question I was thinking of at work. Thanks Capttrips
> 
> I do have one question. It was mentioned earlier that an air-tight cooler lid was the prefered choice. I've always thought that you need some airflow either from the porus wood, or the constant opening of a door to a walk-in to replace the air inside? Please clarify because from what I have read so far (or I could have mistaken what I read) air-tight seems like a bad thing.
> 
> ~V-ret


Just air tight to maintain the correct RH you do need exchange the air to lower any ammonia accumulation due to the aging process


----------



## capttrips (Jun 25, 2012)

I bought my 150 qt cooler yesterday as well as my bag of kitty litter. I see a weekend project coming on. I do hate the idea of keeping my cigars in a basement only to be viewed once a week. And, by the way, whoever thought up the idea of using tupperware to store cigars is a frickin' genius. I was having trouble with my humidor at the B&M so I packed up the Opus in Tubberware and now they are at the perfect rH.


----------



## capttrips (Jun 25, 2012)

So much for the kitty litter. My wife used it last night when she cleaned the litter boxes.:x I've decided to go to the heartfelt beads, but am having a hard time deciding whether to use the beads in a bag or in the x-large tube. What's best and why?


----------



## t4zalews (Jun 11, 2012)

capttrips said:


> So much for the kitty litter. My wife used it last night when she cleaned the litter boxes.:x I've decided to go to the heartfelt beads, but am having a hard time deciding whether to use the beads in a bag or in the x-large tube. What's best and why?


I use a pound of heartfelt beads in the mesh bag that they have on the site. You can use pantyhose if you want. I have a tube in my desktop for space, but I suggest using the loose beads cuz it be cheaper. I tend to use more than I need to minimize RH fluctuations. I have a pound in a 51 qt coolerdor. A lot of people also use a tupperwear dish with the top off. For your application, from what I've seen others do, buy some loose beads and place a couple Tupper dishes around the cooler. There is a calculator for how much you need on the website, I suggest going over the amount computed.


----------



## The Counselor (Jun 19, 2012)

What is the tempature like in one of these?


----------



## kra961 (May 16, 2012)

Robert without any active cooling after a few day's it will be whatever the ambient temperature outside the cooler is, maybe a shade cooler but that's about it.


----------



## The Counselor (Jun 19, 2012)

kra961 said:


> Robert without any active cooling after a few day's it will be whatever the ambient temperature outside the cooler is, maybe a shade cooler but that's about it.


Thanks Kevin. I think once my humidor is full I will start with a tupperdor and move on from there. Regards.


----------



## Cigar Noob (May 22, 2011)

My gf got me a 165qt Igloo from Costco that I am in the process of setting up. This is HUGE. I have some spanish cedar plants that were shelves in my wineador that I will cut down to use as shelves in my cooler. Probably going to be a CC only cooler. Not sure yet.


----------



## cavscout98 (Apr 14, 2012)

Tagging this one to read later...


----------



## showcattle (Jun 28, 2012)

Just thought id subscribe so i can see this info later, what is an active way to cool a coolidor? Im thinking about building one later after i figure out more on how to control RH.


----------



## Cigar Noob (May 22, 2011)

active way to cool a coolidor? Buy a wine cooler. controlling RH is easy. Use KL or HCM beads and a bunch of spanish cedar and you are good to go.


----------



## showcattle (Jun 28, 2012)

Thank you Cigar Noob, was just curious since i keep my house closer to 75-78 in the summer and i read somewhere the temp should be closer to 70 is that right?


----------



## capttrips (Jun 25, 2012)

Now that my coolidor is full of boxes what do I do? The rH is 68 at the top and 65 on bottom which is right in the sweet spot I would think. Should I open the boxes for a few second every couple weeks to allow fresh air to reach the cigars? I am very happy that I seemed to have pulled this off. Btw, my beads arrive next weeks for the time being I'm using Boveda packs and one small gel jar.


----------



## yellowv (Dec 24, 2011)

Coolers if well insulated will hold a steady temp a good few degrees lower than ambient. Right now it has to be 100 outside and my AC is struggling keeping the house about 76-77 right now. My cooler is 70. It stays between 68 and 70 degrees all the time. RH is rock solid at 65%. Short of a wineador there is no better option than a good cooler. Budget wise they are head and shoulders above everything else. My super well insulated 150qt Igloo was $69. Were are you going to get a good 700 stick humidor for $70?


----------



## Cigar Noob (May 22, 2011)

showcattle said:


> Thank you Cigar Noob, was just curious since i keep my house closer to 75-78 in the summer and i read somewhere the temp should be closer to 70 is that right?


That is more about beetles than it is about proper temp. Higher the temp, the quicker they develop. If you freeze all of your cigars you should be good. I too keep my house warmer here in Phoenix, so I will freeze everything before it goes into the cooler. I just went through freezing everything in my wineador too. Check around for a used wine cooler, may find a good price. They will be $100-150. Not much more than a big cooler.



yellowv said:


> Coolers if well insulated will hold a steady temp a good few degrees lower than ambient. Right now it has to be 100 outside and my AC is struggling keeping the house about 76-77 right now. My cooler is 70.


I can't imagine that is the norm, insulating and actively cooling are quite different. Doesn't make any sense to me, but that doesn't mean anything. Mine is at 80 which I presume is the average house temp because my house varies from 77-85.


----------



## yellowv (Dec 24, 2011)

Put your cooler somewhere out of sunlight and fairly cool such as a closet or basement and it should stay fairly cool. If it doesn't it's probably not insulated well enough. Look for coolers that advertise keeping ice for 5 to 7 days. Mine is a 7 day cooler. The warmest it has ever gotten in there was 72.


----------



## hotbike0077 (Jun 5, 2012)

zephead61 said:


> My suggestion is you take all of the Padrons and Opus and immediately ship them to me for safekeeping until you decide what to do. I won't smoke any, I promise! :lie:


I was thinking the same for me...


----------



## Quine (Nov 9, 2011)

yellowv said:


> Coolers if well insulated will hold a steady temp a good few degrees lower than ambient.


Alas, this violates the laws of thermodynamics... If the ambient temp is 80 and you have nothing actively cooling the inside of your cooler, then eventually, its temp will also reach 80. The reason it is cooler now is that you must have opened it when the ambient air was cooler. When you close it again, the insulation (and it sounds like your cooler is well insulated) will keep the inside cooler than the outside _for a while_, but eventually (even if it takes a week and that depends on the quality of the insulation and the difference between the ambient temp and the inside of the cooler) it will get to ambient temp..

There is a way to passively cool a coolidor. Any supermarket sells these "blue bricks" which contain a gel that can be frozen (in your freezer) and then dropped into your coolidor for a while to bring down its internal temp. I would only do this if the cooler has gotten really warm inside because cooling the inside air will usually cause some condensation (unless the hot outside air is really really dry). I personally would not do this if there were naked cigars (not in boxes) in the cooler, but if you have boxes there and close them or your sticks are in plastic bags then a little condensation shouldn't hurt them if you don't drop the temp too far. This is just a suggestion, I have never had to do this as I live in a place where the summer heat rarely approaches 80 and it always cools down at night. If I have a very warm day, I will wait until the temps drop at night (I can even drag the cooler out to my porch) and open it for a few mins to the cooler air. As noted above, the insulation will then keep the air cooler inside at least through the next day's heat.


----------



## yellowv (Dec 24, 2011)

I never said the cooler will cool the air inside by itself. I don't know about you but I open my cooler at least once a week.


----------



## t4zalews (Jun 11, 2012)

Does keeping ur coolidor cooler than 70..lets say 66-65 degrees...make the cigars mettle better at 65% RH?


----------



## Quine (Nov 9, 2011)

yellowv said:


> I never said the cooler will cool the air inside by itself. I don't know about you but I open my cooler at least once a week.


What you said was: "Coolers if well insulated will hold a steady temp a good few degrees lower than ambient." which implies much the same thing because you didn't add: "for a while". I open my coolers at least that often, but the point is, if you live somewhere where the daily temps are too warm for optimal cigar storage, then you should only open them when it has cooled off a bit in the evening.

Taylor it's true that for any given Rh, there would be less total water in a cubic inch of air at 65deg than at 70deg -- in fact the difference is considerable. But there is also a correspondingly lower vapor pressure acting to evaporate the water from the cigars at the lower temp, so in effect it all balances out. I don't have any practical way to cool my humidors (of what ever kind), or for that matter warm them in the winter. In my home, winter temps hover around 60deg (sometimes lower) and in the summer about 75deg (occasionally reaching 80) and through all of that range, the cigars seem fine.

Now it may be that there is a difference when it comes to long term aging (2+ years). I would think that the aging process might be accelerated by higher temps, but I have no empirical evidence to back this up...


----------

